I love doing art projects with our grandchildren. I especially enjoy adorning mugs with their masterpieces for our morning coffee enjoyment.
This year, they each drew a full body self-portrait along with the rest of their household. This little beauty became a wrap around mug with each of our little ones contributing their part.
Tim and I enjoy our morning coffee time…and having their art as a part of our morning ritual is bliss indeed.
Family Portrait by our grandkids.
An awesome start to the day – pure bliss! – Thanks to my wonderful family for these treasured birthday wishes!
Our grandchildren love to color. A few years ago, I made Color My Family coloring books for the girls. The little man was not interested in structured coloring at that time. Now, at four, he does it all the time and not always in the proper place.
I started to print a Color My Family book for him, and then I realized they have grown so much they needed new line art to color.
I have been sneaking in family images amongst the other duties of the week. I hope to have it done soon. It is pure bliss to watch their faces when they realize they know the people in the coloring book. Try it sometime for a little one in your life.
GrandThing3 – a new line drawing for his new coloring book.
GrandThing 3 sets out to find dirt.
There are defining moments that burn themselves onto our internal processors. I remember vividly four years ago, today, the moment he popped into this world all wet and shiny new. But in my mind’s eye, he will forever be the little boy in search of dirt.
When he visits, he inevitably is drawn to his daddy’s old Tonka toys. So it was, one spring day. With a lot of rain, the wild grasses and weeds had taken over the fields. What this little boy really needed was dirt.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
Just dirt.
He spent the better part of the afternoon dragging the backhoe and tractor around, looking for a proper place to put them to work. Alas, he spies a pile of decomposed granite.
Bliss.
Happy Birthday GrandThing Three!
Bliss! perfect dirt for play.
Fishing with Grandpa – The Forester Artist
Showing off his catch. This one went back after the photo.
GrandThing 3 tells Grandma all about his painting. “He caught grasshoppers with Grandpa and they caught a fish.”
One soppy morning, on our way to the hen house to gather chicken eggs, my oldest granddaughter was just the right height to spot movement in the tall stasis near the duck pen.
“Grandma, what’s that? Something moved.”
It caught my attention about the time she finished speaking. A newly hatched duckling was attempting to get back into the duck pen. On the other side, floating lifeless in the water was another newly hatched duckling. The pen was not a safe place for the hatchlings. I quickly rescued the living duckling and wrapped it in my top against my belly to keep it warm.
“Is it okay? Is the duckel’ing okay?” GrandThing1 was very worried.
We hurried back to the house where we gathered a storage bin, some rags and a heat lamp. When the makeshift brood box was ready, I slipped the little bird from under my top. 
My granddaughter’s eyes widened as she raised her delicate little hands in an open cup to receive the tiny baby.
“Oh, Grandma, it’s so cute. Hello, baby duckel’ing.” Reassured by her soft little voice, the duckling settled in. She cuddled it close.
“What will it eat?” She leaned over and whispered into her hands, “Are you hungry? Grandma, the duckel’ing is hungry.”
I dialed Grandpa’s cell and held the phone to her so she could leave a message.
“Grandpa, we need food for the baby duckel’ing.”
We placed the feathered baby into its brood box. GrandThing1 announced, “The duckel’ing needs a nap.” Off she rushed to where she napped during her visits.
I heard rustling, a little bit of grumbling, then, “Here it is!” Back she came with her favorite nap time storybook. She seated herself so the duckling could hear. Her little voice did not miss a beat retelling her memorized tale.
“Brown bear, brown bear…”
The Duckel’ing by GrandThing1. Of course now she says “duckling” it has been many birthdays since this event. We will always remember the “duckel’ing.”
Happy Birthday GrandThing1
Love,
Grandma
GrandThing1 and Grandma draw pictures together in a hangout.
Our grandchildren love for us to carry them to bed after story time. Such was the case on this particular visit.
T2, our second granddaughter, wanted me to carry her this time, instead of Grandpa.
She says, “Grandma, carry me.”
Pleased to have the honor, I approach with arms out.
“Grandma, carry me,” she repeats. “Carry me like a princess.”
Princess? Really? Princess? Anyone who has read my posts, especially Wedded Bliss, can ascertain – I don’t do princess.
I gently leaned down and tenderly said, “Grandma doesn’t do princess.”
Well, she stood very tall, placed her hands on her hips, cocked her tiny head to the side, peered at me through her brow and in a pleasant, encouraging voice not matching her stern posture said, “Grandma, you can try.”
Princess it is.
One of Thing2’s art pieces displayed on The Repository of Bliss.
Happy Birthday GrandThing2
Love,
Grandma
Have you ever noticed that children left to their own devices will gravitate toward an activity to capture bliss?
No one has to tell them to use a crayon to draw upon the walls or that when paper tears it makes a cool sound. They are fully capable of finding these pleasures all on their own.
Curiosity and discoveries fill their hearts and open the world.
Our youngest was the most prolific scribbler of walls. He loved to draw on paper, but what he relished most was a simple wall canvas.
What must have gone through his mind when I grumbled while cleaning the walls before selling the house?
I hope he knows we saved his paper art. He must, because in his home, his children have an art table at the ready for spontaneous creations.
So today, as we celebrate his birthday, we can only speculate what wonders of bliss his children will reveal to their dad and mom.
Happy Birthday Stephen
With love,
Mom
– By Stephen Livingston (age 5 years)
We have all had moments like this when working with a group of kids. One child is so full of energy that sitting still is impossible. Yes, impossible, and I do not say this lightly.
I watched this energetic child squirm, wiggle and twist. With hands that drummed, fidgeted and poked it seemed like we were in for a long night of religious education.
One quick glance from me garnered an, “Am I in trouble?” response.
The child seemed to be trying so hard to sit still, listen, and not interrupt the lessons or other pier participation.
“Am I in trouble?” the child queried again.
I slid a few sheets of paper under those fidgeting fingers along with some colored markers. “When I am easily distracted, it helps me to doodle. Give it a try.” My smile was met with a broad grin and my offer accepted.
An amazing peace fell over the room. Oh, the hands were still busy, writing each pier name on a paper airplane. Then a dove with an olive branch followed by three crosses on a hill.
The student was listening and exchanging in dialog all the while creating little masterpieces.
Religious education class is opened and closed with prayer. That evening, the doodles during class were placed in the center of the table as we all prayed together.
When trying to reach a kid, try art.
Grandchildren are purveyors of bliss. In my office, just below the window side of my desk, the backside of a dry-erase board is visible. The dry-erase board is facing the wall to protect it.
Okay, I know, I can take a picture of it, and I have taken a picture. The picture does preserve the memory. But a picture, though it may be worth a thousand words, can never take the place of my granddaughter’s note to her grandpa and me.
Grand Thing One wrote an wonderful “Rainbow Note” to Grandma and Grandpa. Fresh out of Kindergarten and on the way to first grade, here is Grand Thing One’s “Rainbow Note”
During a visit when Grand Thing One had just completed Kindergarten, she spontaneously wrote a note to us on the whiteboard from my office. She changed out color markers as she pleased, and the adorned the note with an illustration of herself with Grandma, Grandpa, and Tom Dog. (Tom Dog is her daddy’s dog.) The lovely note, exactly as written is in the picture. Here is how she read it to us:
“I Love Grandma and Grandpa. Your dogs are cute, I love them too. I love to read with you and they make me laugh. It is funny. I love to stay up with you, it makes me happy to stay up with you. When I see the sunshine it makes me sing about you. You fill my heart with love. I do not want to leave. I want to stay right here. I will not move. It was nice to see you but it was fun with you. Good-bye, I will see you soon. Good-bye, I love you, good-bye.”
A straight line from her house to ours is 1350 miles. She is in 2nd grade now. I think I will send her some stationary, addressed envelopes and stamps. We Google Hangout often, and we call, but a nice note from little hands is a moment of bliss a grandma cannot resist.
As you see, I have a picture, but I do not, and never will, have the heart to erase her letter. So, all of you people out there in blog land, someone must know how to preserve this dry-erase message.
Is there a spray? Can the surface be laminated? Do I leave it as is and just pray nothing happens? Do I buy multiple dry-erase boards and experiment?
Your suggestions are welcome in this grandma’s desire to preserve bliss.
A child’s art is a moment of bliss that continues to give.
My favorite cup features art from our oldest granddaughter. She drew this little row of flowers when she was four. I need to make an updated cup, she is seven now. Perhaps the new one will include refrigerator masterpieces from her younger sister and brother.
For parents looking for something special for Grandma and Grandpa, consider art from grandchildren. Grandchild art can be featured on an everyday item, like my favorite cup, or simply framed or on the front of a card.
I often receive treasured showpieces from our grandchildren. The gift of art from little hands is a moment of bliss that continues to give.
Sneaking Bliss 